The Best Breweries in Bozeman, Ranked

Bozeman has more breweries per capita than almost any city in the country. That is a point of local pride and, honestly, a bit of a navigation problem for visitors who assume they are all worth visiting. They are not. Some are excellent. Some coast on the Montana-brewery mystique while serving mediocre IPAs in a space that looks like every other taproom in the Mountain West. Here is the honest ranking, based on years of living here and drinking through all of them.

The top three

Mountains Walking Brewery is the best brewery in Bozeman, and the gap between them and everyone else is significant. Their lagers are pristine — the Haus Pils is as clean as anything you’ll find in the state, and the Vienna-style lager rotates in often enough to keep you coming back. Their IPAs are balanced rather than hop-bombed, with the Wander IPA being the flagship worth ordering first. The food program — a full kitchen, not just a food truck — turns out sandwiches and snacks that would be noteworthy even without the beer. The smash burger and the fried chicken sandwich both hold up against Bozeman’s best restaurant food. The taproom on East Mendenhall is warm, well-designed, and has the best patio in town for afternoon beers with a view of the Bridgers. If you’ve spent the morning on one of the trails in the Bridger range, this patio is where you want to end up.

Bozeman Brewing Company is the OG, the brewery that has been here since before Bozeman became a destination. Bozone Select Amber is the house beer of Montana as far as I’m concerned — malty, smooth, and the kind of thing you can drink four of without thinking about it. The Plum Street Porter is another standout that doesn’t get enough love, especially on cold days. The taproom is no-frills in the best possible way — concrete floors, long tables, a food truck out front most days (check their Instagram for the weekly rotation, but Stuffed is the one to catch). If you’re staying downtown, it’s an easy walk from most hotels.

MAP Brewing earns the third spot for its combination of consistently good beer and a killer location on the east side of town. The Sentinal IPA is their bread and butter, but the dark lagers and seasonal stouts are where the brewers really show off. The patio sits right on the East Gallatin River, and on a summer evening there is no better seat in Bozeman. Dogs are welcome, kids run around on the grass, and the vibe is exactly what you picture when someone says “Montana brewery.” Outdoor seating stays open well into fall if you bring a layer.

The solid middle

Bridger Brewing is probably the most popular brewery in town with tourists, largely because of their pizza. The pizza is genuinely good — wood-fired, creative toppings, worth ordering. The Vigilante IPA is their best beer, and the Bobcat Blonde is a safe choice if hoppy isn’t your thing. The beer overall is fine. Not bad, not exceptional, just reliable. It’s a great spot if you want to eat and drink in one place without committing to a full restaurant meal. Their second location, Bridger Brewing North on Baxter, is bigger and less crowded if the downtown spot has a wait.

406 Brewing on North 7th brews some of the most creative beers in town, with a rotating tap list that leans experimental. The Dancing Trout Ale is the easy-drinker, but the real reason to visit is whatever seasonal or small-batch option they’ve got on. Their sour program is arguably the best in Bozeman. The taproom is small and can get loud, but if you’re a beer geek who wants something beyond the standard IPA-amber-wheat lineup, this is your spot.

Outlaw Brewing rounds out the middle tier with solid beers and a notably dog-friendly policy that makes their patio a full-on canine social scene in summer. The Lazy Daze Hazy IPA drinks well on a hot afternoon, and the taproom itself is one of the more comfortable in town. Food trucks rotate through regularly.

The rest of the field

Bunkhouse Brewery is perfectly pleasant but forgettable — nothing wrong with the beer, nothing that makes you come back specifically for it. Good enough for an apres-ski pit stop on the way through town, but not a destination. White Dog Brewing in the Cannery District tries hard with a hip aesthetic but the beer has been inconsistent in my experience. Lockhorn Cider House is not technically a brewery, but their hard ciders are excellent and they deserve mention for anyone looking to break up the beer monotony. The dry hopped cider is dangerously drinkable.

Brewery crawl strategy

If I had one afternoon in Bozeman and wanted a brewery crawl, I’d hit Mountains Walking, Bozeman Brewing, and MAP in that order and call it a day. You don’t need to visit all of them. You need to visit the right ones.

For skiers coming off the mountain, most of the downtown breweries make solid post-ski stops before dinner. Mountains Walking and Bozeman Brewing both get a good crowd of people still in base layers by 4 PM on winter weekends.

The summer move is different. Grab a patio seat at MAP around 5 PM, order the seasonal, and let the river do the work. If you’re doing a full food-and-drink evening, start with beers at one of the top three and then walk to one of the restaurants on Main Street for dinner. The whole thing is walkable if you’re based downtown.